Ritual talks 'Arena' mode

SiN Episodes: Emergence isn't even out until May 10th, but Ritual's already talking about a free update due a couple of weeks later - featuring a new gameplay mode.

It's called Arena, but don't get confused - this isn't the promised multiplayer add-on. Although played on a deathmatch-style map, it's a points-based game where the level's fed with an endless supply of foes driven by the dynamic difficulty system, and you've got to hold them off for as long as possible to score.

Arena Mode, featuring several original maps, will follow a couple of weeks after Emergence's, er, release, and will be trailed at E3 - where the game's going to be on show on the Logitech, Microsoft and NVIDIA stands. Ritual's also hired some girls to dress up as Elexis Sinclaire and Jessica Cannon, and they have some preview pics on their blog since I know you're going to ask for them.

Beyond E3, Ritual's considering multiplayer options, and lead game designer Shawn Ketcherside says, "the speculations and chatter about Co-Op are actually well founded. We're absolutely investigating different Co-Op options, and Arena Mode is providing a foundation for some of our ideas."